Poet and lyricist Anil Panachooran passed away late on Sunday at a private hospital here following health complications. He was 55.
He had collapsed earlier in the day and was admitted at private hospitals at Kayamkulam and Karunagappally before he was brought to the city. The exact reason of death is yet to be ascertained, said sources from the hospital.
A lawyer by profession, Panachooran came into the limelight in 2007 with the much appreciated songs in Arabikkadha , including ‘Chora Veena Mannil...’ and ‘Thirike Njan...’. ‘Chora Veena Mannil...’, sung with revolutionary fervour by the poet himself, grew beyond the movie and is played regularly in Left cultural events.
Winning hearts
‘Thirike Njan...’, which had lines bringing out the pain of expatriates living away from their family members, became a huge hit with the non-resident Keralites.
Even before he marked his arrival in films, he had attained popularity among the poetry aficionados in the State with poems such as ‘Anaadhan’, written in the 1990s. The poem, about a mentally challenged woman who gives birth to a baby on the street, later became a song in the film Makalkku , which tackled a similar subject.
Some of his other famous poems include ‘Valayil Veena Kilikal’, ‘Pranayakalam’, ‘Oru Mazha Peythengil’, and ‘Kanneerkanalukal’.
He followed up Arabikkadha with the song ‘Vyathyasthanam oru barber...’ from Kadha Parayumbol , a humourous song that topped the hit charts for a long time. Over the next decade, he continued to write lyrics consistently for Malayalam films, touching on a variety of subjects through his songs.
Notable works
Some of his notable works include the songs in Bhramaram , Mulla , Cocktail , Madambi , Cycle, Minnaminnikkoottam, and Velipadinte Pusthakam . The song ‘Jimikki Kammal...’ from Velipadinte Pusthakam , with its catchy yet simple lyrics inspired from old folk songs, soon went viral, spawning several dance video covers from across the globe.
Panachooran was working on his first directorial Kaadu when the end came.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the poet’s passing away. He said that Panachooran’s songs, including ‘Chora Veena Mannil...’, will always be remembered by Malayalis.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said that the State had lost a talented poet from the new generation with Panachooran’s death.
He said he had maintained a close friendship with the poet.
